eLearning community

How to get started

The NTU Online workspace (NOW) is the brand new, state-of-the-art VLE that enables staff to deliver their programmes and/or modules and students to access learning resources from anywhere in the world. You can attend a drop-in training session on how to create online courses and make use of our eLearning tools. Alternatively, you can access NOW directly with your University username and password. The NOW Community has been created in the virtual learning environment to provide additional resources and support. It contains training material and user guides as well as news and discussion forums.

If you have not previously used the University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in your work, you may find the uploading of basic course information, lecture notes and links to online resources a useful starting point.

Our minimum standard

Consultation workshops and an online student survey carried out in 2007 confirms that the following provision should constitute a minimum standard for all students to experience:

• a welcome message from module or programme leader
• programme and module information, including programme and module handbooks and guidance on assessment
• module news (used by module or programme leaders as and when appropriate)
• resources for use during modules (such as video clips, PowerPoint presentations, handouts, etc.)
• a reading or resource list
• information on the Programme Representative and Programme Representative initiated activities
• web links.

Once you have got started, you may find that using the discussion tool to create forums will help to support engagement in group work. These can be either tutor or student initiated. The Education Development Unit (EDU) will be offering professional development for staff concentrating on:

• information exchange
• knowledge construction
• development and reflective tasks.

These sessions can be booked online and the programme is regularly updated.

Our approach to eLearning

At NTU we combine both a top-down and bottom-up approach. The University also gives a lead in its Strategic Plan 2004-10 by setting out a minimum standard for the provision of online learning and support. This strategy locates the embedding of learning technology use in the context of curriculum redesign. In summary:

• The achievement of appropriate learning outcomes should be the primary consideration in any redesign of programmes or modules to incorporate online elements.
• Resources deployed as paper-based documents should also be deployed electronically, where appropriate and feasible, in order to maximise student access to programme materials and resources.
• Programmes, or disciplines or major sequences where this is more appropriate, should reflect a coordinated approach to design and implementation of online teaching and learning. This should be based on a planned strategy for each module offered to move from traditional or current practices and resources to delivery that integrates online components.
• Proposals for development of online components of programmes and modules should include plans for monitoring, evaluation, quality assurance and online accessibility compliance. They should also explain how information about student performance and feedback and staff self-evaluation of modules and programmes will inform University-wide practice.